Drone Strike in Eilat
Houthi Drone Crashes in Eilat, Injuring 22, Two Seriously
The UAV fell near the “Mall HaYam” shopping center and Club Hotel, causing panic, property damage, and sparking a fire quickly extinguished by firefighters.
A drone launched from Yemen penetrated Israeli airspace today and crashed in the center of Eilat, near the “Mall HaYam” shopping center and Club Hotel, leaving 22 people injured. According to Magen David Adom (MDA), two men in their 60s were seriously wounded by shrapnel, one person was moderately hurt, and the rest sustained light injuries. Five additional people were treated for shock.
Firefighters reported damage to vehicles and nearby hostel rooms, as well as remnants of explosives at the scene. The IDF deployed a combat helicopter to evacuate the wounded to central Israel hospitals.
The IDF confirmed that two interception attempts were made against the drone, but both failed. Air defense forces have launched an investigation into the incident.
“We heard a huge explosion, everything shook,” said a local resident, describing the chaos after the impact. Witnesses reported a fire, which was quickly brought under control.
MDA paramedic Eyal Dadon said: "The moment we heard the alert about a drone intrusion in Eilat, we entered a protected area in accordance with Home Front Command instructions. A few moments later, reports reached MDA’s 101 call center of a strike near a building, and large MDA forces, including ambulances, intensive care units, and rapid response teams, were dispatched to the scene. There was a fire at the site that was extinguished by firefighters, while we conducted a sweep of the area and established a casualty collection point. We provided medical treatment to 22 injured people, including two in serious condition who suffered severe shrapnel injuries to their limbs and chest. All of the casualties were evacuated by MDA teams to the hospital, and all were conscious."
The spokesperson from Soroka Hospital provided this update:
A 65-year-old man was airlifted from Yoseftal Hospital in Eilat to the trauma unit at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba following a drone strike in the southern city.
He is in critical condition. He underwent an initial assessment in the trauma room before being transferred to the operating theater.
A second helicopter carrying additional injured patients from Eilat is currently en route to Soroka.
Just last week, another drone from Yemen crashed into a hotel in Eilat, igniting a blaze. The repeat incident has heightened concerns about the city’s vulnerability to attacks.